That's very interesting. So what would I see if I just bottled a beer and left it at room temp? Would I see pressure peak and then slowly fall off as the C02 goes into solution? When pressure stabilized, I'd know I was fully carbed?
No, when you bottle condition, the slight fermentation we cause by adding priming sugar just builds pressure up in the bottle. The pressures seem to go up into the 30's and 40's PSI from what I've seen.
The CO2 doesn't really move into the liquid until the temperature drops. Some CO2 may, but not the majority of it. CO2 doesn't dissolve into solution until a lower temperature.
This is really what we do when we force carb in a keg. We raise the pressure up when the beer is cold. The CO2 moves into the solution. The tap pressure is lowered for proper delivery and the beer either sets for cold aging, or it is consumed at that time.
What you would see with the pressure gauge (if you use one bigger than my first bottle had. Should use a 100 PSI Gauge) is that the pressure climbs over time and will level off.
Once the pressure levels off, that means all of the priming sugar has been used up by the yeast. Next, you put them into the fridge. You will see the pressure drop over several days. Eventually, it also will level off. I like to let them sit for a few more days after that, but really if the pressure stops dropping, all of the CO2 that can be dissolved at that temperature has been achieved.
I think at that time, the bottles are carbed and conditioned. However, the beer will be much better tasting if left at room temperature longer. It gives the beer time to age and the pallet blends.
It certainly would be drinkable and carbed at the time the pressure stops dropping in the fridge though.
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